Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-08-25
A Case of Gross Injustice.
T Bangor Wing.

! fair play which leads the American people to
! demand knowledge of both sides of a cOntro-
versy before rendering final Judgment, has
asserted itself in regard to the recent attic mpt
of the Navy Department to discredit and hu
initiate one Of the oldl ST and most dIst!n
guished officers in the service. We can think
Of no more glaring violation of all the official
proprieties than the use of the Associated
Press to advertise on both sides of the Allan
tic Secretary Whitney's not over dignlfied
rebuke to the Admiral Of our Navy Squadron
then in Canadian waters.
similar treatment of any diplomatic rep
resentative of our government having much
less important and delicate duties than tho ;e
of the commander Of our naval forces at the
present time in the vicinity of the fisheries,
would bring down upon State Department
that should indulge in il, swift and EN-
phatic public condemnation, and we are not
surprised 70 fad the press of other countries
manifesting the establishment that is felt at
such public reflection upon the course of an
officer Of sufficient eminence to be entrusted
with the command of our principal naval
force.
Following closely upon the public sense of
the improperly of such ostentatious re-
proof of veteran officer in the face Of
his command and of the foreign people
whose ports he was visiting, has come the
conviction that the rebuke was as unjusti
fed as it was undgnified and demagogical.
From out of the tissue of sensational news
paper reports and departmental misrepresen-
tations there has gradually evolved the simple
fact that Admiral Luce, instead of doing or
saying anything to the detriment of the rights
of our hardy fishermen, was engaged in rem
dering them an important service, their ap-
probation of which has in various WAYS found
emphatic expression What the Admiral did
was to obtain from the principal officer of the
Canadian Fishery Service statement of the
Canadian version of the rights of foreign fish
ermen in their ports and of the regulations
which it is the intention of the Canadian au
thorities to enforce against our vessels. This
information has been earnestly sought at
Washington by our fishermen and the repre-
sentatives Of our fishing Interests, who have
wearied of efforts 70 obtain from our own
Government any clear statement of their
rights or any guaranty of protection, and who
prefer to avoid if possible the risks of seiz
ures and penalties, the prospect of relief from
which through any action of our Government
appears so extremely remote.
There was no in imation or suggestion that
the Admiral recogniz ID the rightfulness of
any of the assumptions or constructions EN-
"'uieu III S"pt"i' '0'''' answers lucy
"0'e IAN" ~. Ia '"y 80 WI ~ as '"e
au"ou"o ''ie"' Vi .ne Us '',a' eTu'u so,e!n
~ aN''0'i "a wv L ,tt' IN
iinii'l' a'',' INC ~ ''lieu
-, o. -. ~ '''i ~,
heading:
"QUERIEs
Submitted by Rear Admiral S. B. Luce,
II n (1ntumuDGitu II - Naval EIrpa
Nor.h Atlantic Station, to Captain Scott, Of
the Canadian Fishery Service, and Captain
SCOTS answers thereto"
wo krow from tho puhIisbod stoto,no,. of
Mr. WAITE, NJ rho Portland E;sbar,, As.o-
oio,;o, md frop, ,nmoroue tho ou+bor;,oa
r.nrosantivas of nur fsb;pg interests thot
INK, ora areotfnl to tba Adm;raI Gov tha SOW.
v;cs of d,scov.ring for tbam wha, rho Cano.
3;ans nronoso 80 anfor.o a,.;ns, ,ho vsssaIs
Will nnr c,yorrmsnt i ,sk;na snob q
i;hnr,l .,,oun, &c .ir,, 20 d,.orn,i, ,uLathor
n,r fab' rmsn ha,a INV, r;,hts ,hat = 10 homnd
=, ,ro.sc, !, !. vortb somethina r. knov
ha, tha olo;rs and r,rnnsoo of tho
Canaa;ans ora If nmr Gararnma,t viii
40. $3.50 49,, aon,,o,s !, i 5oairahla ~ ha,,a
49,, 80 ~ -, ,h,t .h', oan ~,
-. w 80 IN, $50 80 l;t,,a ssh.
iea'' oe a, u, oi, aa,ri ~ taI.a
,nk ' $50, .'a ' as -, ;r.au,a,;onal
upon INNS" '"e 80 na Wv o'rn cnvarnmast
contto.esN IN ,; 49, ;n,aras, and II I'D
ns,,,ie IS. ey nv "'s nthori,;ss n,;aht at least
s n'. .nd no;nt ont the danger line as
nv the other side.
Admiral Luce has cut the Gordisn Knot of
the red tape that has equally prevented our
Executive Government from making up its
own mind as to whether our fishermen have
any rights and from furnishing any informa-
ton AS to the conditions and circumstances